


A true love Christmas

by Gibbo92



Series: True love series [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Adoption, Good Parent Maryse Lightwood, Husbands, M/M, Married Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Max lightwood-bane - Freeform, Mention of child neglect but nothing graphic, Parents Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Rating May Change, will think of more tags later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:15:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27778228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gibbo92/pseuds/Gibbo92
Summary: A sequel to True love deserves a second chanceTakes place 5 years after the epilogueA Christmas story.Max Lightwood-Bane has decided for Christmas he would like a brother or sister!
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: True love series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2032117
Comments: 18
Kudos: 56





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is a sequel to True love deserves a second chance which can be found here.
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/26772034/chapters/65307742

Chapter 1

“ Daadddyy" Alec had just walked in through the door at his mom’s when his 5 year old son Max came running towards him.

“ Max!, have you been good from Grandma and Grandpa Luke” Alec picked up his son.

“ He’s been good as gold today, helped decorate the Christmas tree and we baked Christmas cookies didnt we Max" 

“ sounds like you had lots of fun today Blueberry, why dont you go toilet then we can go home and see papa” Alec placed Max on the floor and watched him run off.

“ Thanks for having him on such short notice mom"

“ Not a problem sweetheart, I love spending time with my grandson, but I do need to talk to you about something” 

“ Oh, everything okay?!”

“ nothing like that it’s just well we did a Christmas list for Santa and well read for yourself"

_Dear Santa  
I wud like  
a bloo car  
A bloo train  
A Bloo book  
And a broter or sista  
Loof Maxie _

Alec eyes went wide when he read the last item on Max's list, for a while well since the herondale family announced they would be adding another child to their family, max had been obsessed with wanting a brother or sister, whenever one of them went shopping, Max would always ask them to buy him one.

“ he doesn’t stop does he?”

“ You were the same though sweetheart you were obsessed with the idea of having a sibling”

“ Then I got 2 and regretted every second of it" Alec let out a chuckle.

“ oh you love them really Alec"

“ Daddy, I’m all done! Can we go and see papa now"

“ of course Blueberry, thank Grandma for having you today"

“ Tank you, grama, love you”

“ Its no problem my sweet boy, I love you to”

♡♡♡

Magnus was in the kitchen when he heard little feet speeding towards his direction

“ PAPA!” Magnus picked up max and swung him up in the air before pulling him close and placing a kiss on his head.

“ Hey Maxie, did you have fun today”

“ Yeah, grama and me made cookies and I helped grada Luke do the tree"

“ wow that sounds like fun" Magnus looked up to find Alec in the doorway “ And did daddy have a good day at work?”

“ yeah, we were busy since making it accessible to all teenagers not just ones in therapy there’s at least 30 who show daily” Alec walked up to his husband and placed a kiss to his cheek.

“ that’s good, Max go wash your hands for dinner please" Magnus placed him down on the floor and watched him speed off in the direction of the bathroom.

“ I wish I had his energy"

“ tell me about it darling, anyway what’s that in your hand?”

“ This is Blueberry's Christmas list" Alec passed it to Magnus, he waited patiently whilst Magnus read it.

“ oh still at it I see" Magnus let out a chuckle.

“ he’s obsessed Magnus what are we going to do”

“ I dont know darling”

“ Well I...”

“ I’m done Papa, my belly is growly” Max looked up at his fathers.

“ well then Maxie we better feed that growly belly havent we"

♡♡♡

Once they had all eaten Magnus took Max for his bath before tucking him into bed and reading him story as he fell asleep, once he was asleep, Magnus made his way downstairs to find Alec washing the dishes, he walked up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist and pressed a kiss to his shoulder

“ Darling thank you for doing the dishes” 

Alec moved round to face Magnus and rested his hands on Magnus ass “ well I thought sooner they were done, the quicker, I can get inside of my beautiful, clever, talented husband" Alec placed a kiss just under Magnus’s ear, he felt him shudder under his touch.

“ take me then darling husband, take me to bed"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some more family fluff, also introducing a new original character Isla Lewis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey sorry I've taken so long to update, found this chapter difficult to write in the sense that I wanted at least 2 chapters of family fluff before the full plot gets introduced but now I have this chapter done I should be able to update more frequently in fact I've already got half of chapter 3 written so expect that in the next couple of days.

Chapter 2.

Magnus slowly came to he couldnt help but wince slightly as he stretched, 5 years of being married and there sex life definitely hadnt changed at all which was surprising since they were parents, he rolled over to reach out for his husband but instead came face to face to his son.

“ oh no, there’s a little monster in the bed!, please dont eat me"

“ Papa stop being silly! It’s only me Maxie!!”

“ well then the better question would be why is there a little monster in mine and daddy’s bed”

“ Because someone woke up in the middle of the night and wouldnt go back to sleep until he was snuggled up with his papa, isnt that right Blueberry” Alec reached out and ruffled Max's hair.

Max just looked at his papa with a cheeky smile 

“ well snuggle monster how about we get up and find some breakfast, we have a busy day today"

“ Why papa?” 

“ dont tell me you’ve forgotten where we are going today Maxie" Magnus and Alec looked at each other waiting for their son to remember what they were doing today.

“ Christmas tree” was all Max said before quickly scrambling over Magnus and running out of their room.

“ Ouch, wish that kid would watch where he puts his elbows” Magnus rubbed an hand across his ribs.

“Oh my poor husband, shall I kiss them better" Alec shuffled down the bed and was about the place a kiss to Magnus’s ribs before max appeared in the door way.

“ Daaadddyyy, Paapaa, up, up,” before running out the room again

“ rain check?” Magnus placed a kiss to Alec’s lips before climbing out of bed.

♡♡♡

“ Max if I have to ask you to sit on your bottom one more time, you will have to stay in the car with me whilst papa and aunty Izzy and cousin Isla pick out a Christmas tree” Alec turned to look at Max between the seat.

They were sat in the car at the Christmas tree farm waiting for Izzy and hers and Simon’s 3 year old daughter Isla, they allowed Max to undo his seat belt but told him to remain sitting however he was far to excited.

Max grumpily sat back down on his seat and kicked the back of Alec’s seat“ but daddy, she’s taking to long"

“ I know Maxie but she cant help being stuck in traffic, why dont you look out your window and look for her"

“ Okay Papa"

Max settled back into his seat and watched out the window, many minutes had past when Max spotted his aunty Izzy and his cousin Isla.

“ Daddy, Papa I see them!” Max start bouncing up and down in his seat.

“ Come on then Blueberry" Alec climbed out of the car before going and getting Max out of the car.

“ Aunty Izzy, you took too long” Max pouted.

“ I know, I’m sorry Max, there’s lot of cars on the road today, but I’m here now so why dont we go look at some Christmas trees”

“ Yay! Isla do you want to hold my hand" Max held his hand out for his little cousin 

“Yeah, me hold Max hand momma"

“ Of course sweetie" Izzy let go of her daughter’s hand. 

“ You look after your little cousin Maxie, make sure you keep her close” 

“ I will do papa”

♡♡♡

They had been walking around the Christmas tree farm for a while, whilst Alec would have picked a tree way before now Magnus wanted the perfect tree which he was yet to see, Izzy wasnt much better than him either.

“ This is harder than I thought it would be" Magnus sighed 

“ Tell me about it" Izzy looked at her brother in law.

“ seriously you two, how hard is it to pick out a Christmas tree, we’ve walked past a thousand that would be fine” 

“ Alexander, it’s got to be perfect, those weren’t” Magnus patted his cheek “ I promise I’ll make it up to you, in the way that you love when we eventually choose one”

“ Magnus there’s young children about” Izzy smacked his arm.

“ oh they cant hear us” 

“ papa, aunty Izzy, what about this tree!” Max and Isla had stopped a little in front of them.  
“ Ooo let’s see Max” The three adults went to see what the children had found. 

“ Maxie, Isla, you found the perfect Christmas trees” Magnus ruffled max's hair.   
It was indeed the perfect Christmas tree.

♡♡♡

They had sorted out the Christmas tree and was now back at the cars 

“Momma, Max said Santa’s going to give him a brother or sister for Christmas, can Santa bring me one too" 

“ oh I..er..., look daddy’s ringing me, do you want to speak to him and tell him all about our Christmas tree?” Izzy Answered the phone and passed it to her daughter whilst strapping her into her car seat.

Izzy waited for Alec to get Max in the car before she turned to both men

“ What was that about?”

“ Ever since Tessa told us they were having another baby max has been obsessed with the idea of having a brother or sister, so much so that he has now obviously resorted in asking Santa for one and we are at a bit of a loss on what to do, obviously we need to tell him Santa cant bring him one but we dont want to break his heart” Alec ran his hand through his hair.

“ Oh, well I’ll leave you to deal with that" Izzy chuckled as she pressed a kiss to Magnus and then Alec’s cheek before climbing into the car.

“ Let’s talk to him when we get home, as much we dont want to break his heart, waking up on Christmas day to no brother or sister will break his heart more” Magnus kissed his cheek before walking around to the other side of the car and climbing in" 

♡♡♡

Once they arrived home, they spent the rest of the day decorating the Christmas tree.

“ Time for the most important part of the Christmas tree, do you know what that is Blueberry”

“ The star!!” Max ran over to the box and picked up the star. “ Daddy pick me up!”

“ where are your manners Max"

“ sorry Papa, Daddy pick me up please” 

“ come here then" Alec picked Max up so he could place the star on the tree.

“ Now that’s one beautiful Christmas tree, you did a good job picking out the tree Maxie, now why dont you go get your pjs on and then we can snuggle up with some hot chocolate and a Christmas movie ”

“ okay papa" Max ran out of the room.

“ your so going to redecorate that once he’s in bed aren’t you” 

“ Dont be ridiculous” Magnus gave Alec a sheepish look “ before the movie I think we should talk to Max about this whole sibling thing do you agree”

“ Definitely, whilst he’s getting changed, I’ll go make the hot chocolate” Alec pulled his husband in for a long kiss before breaking away and heading towards the kitchen.

Eventually they all made it back into the living room, max was snuggled in between his fathers.

“ Maxie, we need to talk to you about what you asked Santa for”

“ I know your desperate for a brother or sister however no matter how Magical Santa is bringing a brother or sister isnt something he can do, I’m sorry Blueberry” 

Both men looked at max and then at each other, they would happily give Maxie the world so to deny him something he wanted so badly broke their hearts.

Max sat up right and looked at them “ papa, daddy your wrong, Santa will bring me a brother or sister, just you wait and see".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love it if you would leave me a comment and let me know what you thought of it.
> 
> Thanks for reading.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning. Talks of domestic/child abuse but nothing too graphic.
> 
> I apologise in advance for the angsty chapter, chapter 4 isnt much better either which should be up by monday.

Chapter 3.

It was Monday morning and Alec was back at the centre

“ good weekend lightwood” Will stepped up beside him.

“ yeah, had a family day out picking out a tree with my sister and Isla”

“ Let me guess, Magnus redecorated the tree once Max had gone to bed?” 

“ Yep, how did you guess?”

“ Because his sister is exactly the same. Oh I promised Alexa I’d give you this, she drew it last night”

Alec looked down at the picture his niece had drawn for him, it was a picture of him and her. Alec was just about to say something when both men heard some arguing.

“ what the hell man, watch where your going” one of the boys shoved the person he was talking to.

“ it’s your fucking fault your the one who stopped directly in front of me" The other boy shoved him back.

Both Alec and Will looked at each other before heading over to intervene.

“ Hey! Boys! You know the policy on fighting and swearing!” 

“ Jack started it"

“ Wow really mature Dan!” Jack went to shove Dan again.

Will stepped in between the teenagers “ Right that’s enough, Jack with me, Dan with Alec, you both need to cool off”

Once Alec and Dan were away from will and Jack, Alec turned to Dan.

“ what was all that about Dan?, everything going okay at home?” 

Dan had started coming to the centre last year after Valentine and Luke had been called out to a domestic violence call to find Dan pinned up to the wall by his father whilst his mother lay unconscious on the floor and whilst his father was now serving a life sentence, Dan’s mother mental health took a dive and had left Dan to look after her which had been an enormous stress on the boy. 

“ yeah everything is okay at home, in fact mom has a cleaning job on the weekends now and has made a couple of friends, she’s doing a lot better"

“ That’s brilliant Dan, I’m so pleased she’s doing much better, but if it’s not your mom then what is it? 

“ it’s our new neighbour’s, I’m pretty sure the mom is abusing her 7 year old son, she’s always shouting at him at all hours of the night and I swear last night I heard him tell his her not to lock him in the cupboard again” 

Alec felt his heart break, that boy was only two years older than Max, he needed to find out more.

“ what has your mom said about it?, has she rang the police”

“ She wants to but after what happened with da.. him she’s scared to, she feels bad about it but.. “ Dan shrugged “ do you think you could call your police friend to maybe check it out, I’m scared something is going to happen to that little boy”

“ of course I can, do you know anything about them, even just a last name”

“ I dont know, most of the time the boy gets called boy but occasionally she will call him by a name, I think it was Rafael” 

♡♡♡

After talking to Dan some more, Alec took a moment to collect himself, it hit him hard hearing about that little boy, once he calmed down he rang Luke who said they would have a patrol officer swing by and check it out.

He couldnt stop thinking about that poor boy but he couldnt let it effect him at work, these kids needed him to be on the ball.  
Alec had just walked through the door at home when his phone rang.

“ Hey Luke, anything?” 

“ Nah sorry Alec, no one was in when an officer went by”

“ Oh" 

“ but we quite often have a patrol car in that area so they are going to keep an eye out. Sorry there wasnt much to be done"

“ Its okay, thank you anyway Luke, see you on Sunday”

“ Yeah say hi Max & Magnus for me”

Alec just hung up the phone when he spotted Magnus leaning on the door frame.

“ What was that about Darling?” Magnus stepped forward and kissed Alec on the cheek.

“ Its just...”

“ DAAADDDY!” Max ran towards his father who picked him and swing him up in the air before pulling him for a tight hug.

“ Missed you so much Max, daddy loves you lots" Alec closed his eyes for a brief moment trying to stop the tears from pooling in his eyes.

Magnus watched on, he wondered what had his husband so emotional but he knew that he would have to wait for Max to go to bed before he got answers.

“ Hey Maxie, go wash your hands ready for dinner please"

“ Okay Papa" Alec place Max on the floor and watched him leave the room.

“ Come on Handsome, let’s go eat dinner, then we’ll get Max in bed and you can tell me what’s up okay" Magnus wrapped his arms around Alec.

♡♡♡

“ and they lived happily ever after, the end" Alec closed the book and looked down at Max who was fast asleep, Alec careful climbed off the bed and tucked the covers around Max and pressed a kiss on Max’s forehead. “ Goodnight Blueberry love you lots"

“ He’s a sleep" Magnus looked up from the book he was reading to find Alec coming towards him 

“ finally, so what was earlier all about darling" Magnus ran his hands through Alec’s hair as he laid his head in his lap. 

Magnus heart broke whilst Alec was telling him about the boy he had heard about earlier.

“ Darling that’s horrible, I really hope the little boy will be okay, you know that now Luke and Valentine are aware they will keep an eye on things” 

“ I couldnt help but think if we hadnt of adopted Max he might of been in a similar situation ”

“ Yes Darling, I know, but we did adopt Max, and he’s safely snuggled up in bed, you’ve done everything you can possibly do for that boy"

“ What would I do without you Magnus?”

“ Well you will never have to find out darling" Magnus leaned down and kissed Alec. 

♡♡♡

Alec rolled over frustrated, he glanced at the clock which told him it was only 1am, when him and Magnus came to bed he couldnt fall asleep, he looked over at Magnus sleeping peacefully, as he took in his appearance he couldnt help glance at the scars on his abdomen, ever since hearing about that little boy and talking to the teenager at the centre he couldnt help but think about his own father, the man behind the scars that adorned his husband’s abdomen. 

“ you do know I can hear you think Alexander" Magnus rolled over and looked at him.

“ sorry, I cant sleep, after talking with the Dan at the centre it reminded me what he went through and which made me think about the abuse Robert put me through, I nearly lost you Magnus just after I only got you back”

“ Hey Darling, look at me, he didnt take me away, he lost, we won, we're Married, we have a beautiful son and what’s he got a prison cell and life of loneliness” 

Alec pulled his husband on top of him, and pulled him in for a kiss, after a few minutes Alec pulled away and mumbled against Magnus’s lips “ make Love to me please" 

“ of course darling"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I would give a bit of recap of who's with who ect
> 
> Luke and Maryse are now an item
> 
> Tessa is Magnus's sister, Will along with Jem is Tessa's husbands and they have a daughter called Alexandra Alexa for short and she was named after Alec who helped delivered her
> 
> I would love it if you would leave me a comment and let me know what you thought of it.
> 
> Thanks for reading.
> 
> 💚💚


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec meets Rafael.  
> All hell breaks loose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise this chapter is very hard to read (i was a mess writing) and people may find it hard to read however I promise after this chapter everything much easier.
> 
> Also you may have noticed I've updated the chapters which means I have actually finished writing this and hopefully by the end of the day this story will be completed.
> 
> Disclaimer. I am in no way a professional in how they deal with children that have been abused or how the fostering/adoption system works so therefore how the deal with this is probably not correct.

Chapter 4

Alec had just dropped Dan's phone off to him, the teenager had left it at the centre, he had just about to get in the car when he spotted a little boy in the next garden, he noticed he had no Jumper or shoes on, what kind of parent would allow their young child outside in the dark and freezing temperatures without anything on.

Slowly as not to the scare the boy he crouched down.

“ Hello. Are you ok?, I’m Alec, what’s your name?” 

The little boy just shook his head

“ Where’s your Mommy and daddy”

“ Dont have a daddy, or momma"

Alec was about to ask him if anyone was looking after him when the door to the house open and a lady appeared at the door.

“ RAFAEL! GET INSIDE NOW" 

Alec watched as Rafael sluggishly walked up the footpath to the door once he reached the door, the lady grabbed him roughly by the shoulder and shoved him into the house before giving Alec a look that sent chills down his spine and slammed the door shut.  
Alec got up from where he was crouched and headed towards his car.

♡♡♡

“ But I want Daddy!!” Max cried whilst Magnus was putting him back into bed for the umpteenth time.

“ I know Darling but Daddy had to work late" Magnus felt bad lying to his son but the truth was he had no idea where Alec was, he knew he was dropping a phone off to someone from the centre but he should of been home by now.

“ How about Papa come and get into your bed and sing you a song to help you fall asleep and then as soon as Daddy gets home I’ll send him in to give you a kiss"

“ Okay Papa" 

Magnus climbed into Max’s bed and wrapped his arms around his son and sang quietly as he stroked his hair until both of them fell fast asleep.

♡♡♡

Alec should of gone straight home but the image of that boy stuck with him, so he drove around for a while to get a hold of himself.

Once he got home, he noticed how late it was, he missed Max’s bedtime, he quickly locked everything up, set the security system and headed upstairs to check on his son and husband.

He hadnt expected to find Magnus lying in Max’s bed and them snuggled up together, he was tempted to leave him there but knew being cramped in a single bed would end up leaving the older man complaining of muscle pain.

“ Magnus" Alec gently shook his shoulders, he watched as Magnus stretch before opening his eyes.

“ your late"

“ I know, I’m sorry Magnus, I’ll explain” Alec watched As Max rolled over and snuggled his teddy bear before settling down again. “ But not here”

♡♡♡

Once both men were downstairs, Magnus warmed Alec up some dinner before sitting down in front of him.

“ I’m sorry if Max was hard to get down tonight”

“ Its okay Alexander, so are you going to tell me where you were"

So Alec explained everything 

“ It was horrible Magnus, he was outside with no coat and no shoes, he was freezing, Dan said he’s 7 but he looked the same age as Max, and then when whoever was the lady was that came out he looked so scared and the look she gave me when she shut the door.. well I’ve not seen a look that sinister since that night I confronted Robert” Alec tried to stop the tears but it was no use.

Magnus got up from the table and walked around to Alec and pulled him up into a hug, he hated seeing his husband so upset, it was horrifying hearing about that little boy, it was obvious that he wasnt being treated well at all.

“ Hey Alexander, it’s okay, it will be okay, I promise you we will get that boy some help"

♡♡♡

Both Will and Alec was at a loss, when the kids arrived at the centre they were very surprised to see Dan arrive with a little boy in tow, who Alec immediately recognized as Rafael.

“ I’m sorry again Mr H, it’s just mom had left for work when she appeared on the doorstep and told me to look after her nephew until 6PM before leaving and I didn’t know what to do”

“ Dan it’s okay, you did the right thing bringing him with you, I’m assuming this is the little boy you told Alec about?” Will looked over at Alec who was sat keeping an eye on Rafael.

Alec glanced over at Will and Dan before turning his attention back on Rafael. 

“ Hey do you remember me?”   
Rafael nodded his head. 

Now Alec saw him up close, he could tell he was very thin and was covered in bruises, he looked up over a Will who was waving him over. 

“ Hey, I’ll be back in a moment”

“ What his condition?”

“ I’m not medical professional but he’s definitely under weight for his age and he’s covered in bruises from what I can see old and new ones, he’s definitely not being looked after properly"

“ I’ve called Alison and she on her way, I have to ask Alec have you asked him any questions that may could be interpreted as you forcing to give a certain Answer” Will hated asking Alec that question, he didnt want his brother in law that he didnt trust him but he had to ask.

“ no all I asked is if he remembered me" Alec understood that Will was just doing his work. 

♡♡♡

Alison who was a child service worker had arrived not to long ago and was checking out the situation.

“ you were right to call me, he will need a much more in depth examination but from what the nurse could tell is that boy is definitely being abuse, unfortunately he wouldnt tell me much”

“ Do you think he doesn’t quite understand” Alec looked at Rafael who was currently sat with Alison’s co-worker and the nurse who had come with them which turned out to be Caterina 

“ Oh he understands, he’s just to terrified to say anything, do you know where he lives we need to investigate this further but there is no way that child can be returned to his aunt." 

Alec was about to ask her something when suddenly the doors burst opened and a very angry Lady was stood at the doors, Alec recognised it to be the one who supposedly looked after Rafael.

“ Where’s my nephew, Rafael it’s time to go home"

Alec looked over at Rafael who had practically climbed into the other social workers lap and was holding on to her for dear life, it was very obvious that he was absolutely terrified.

“ Sorry Miss, but you cant take him home at the moment”

“ And why the hell not, he’s my nephew”

“ Because Miss, that boy is being abused”

“ By who

Will had got all the teenagers into another room of the centre and left them with their co worker to ensure there safety, he had just walked back Into the room when he heard Alison say.

“ I think you know who"

Will looked at Alec “ I think it’s time you ring those detective friends of yours, this is about to get ugly”

Ugly was an understatement, it took a few minutes for Rafael aunt to realize what she was being accused off she grabbed the nearest object and threw it in the direction of Rafael but Alec without thinking jumped in front of him to protect him.

Will yelled for the security guards who managed to restrain the women before rushing over to Alec who was currently holding his head, sitting on the floor

“ hey. You okay?”

Alec looked at Will “ yeah although if it had been a much heavy object I’d probably be seeing three of you and what a nightmare that would be"

Will sighed a breath of relief “ F you Lightwood” and pulled him into a hug.

♡♡♡

Alec watched from the window as Valentine got the lady into the car and drove off, he turned around to face the scene behind him. Caterina forced Alec into a chair before checking his head

“ Caterina, I dont care about me, all I care about is Rafael" 

“ Magnus was right, your besotted with that little boy arent you"

“ maybe it’s the parent in me or I dont know but I hate knowing that little boy has suffered”

During the attack Rafael had climbed off Alison’s lap and ran into a corner and every time someone went near him he would scream at the top of his lungs and kick out.

“ Hes so terrified, no one can get close enough to him" Alison told him as she made her way over to Alec and Cat.

“ Let me try” Alec pushed Caterina hand off him before carefully climbing up to his feet, once he was where Rafael was he knelt down on the floor, Rafael stayed where he was to and looked at Alec but he didnt scream or kick out, so Alec went a bit closer.

“ Rafael, she’s gone, I promise you I wont let her get near you again, you see that man over there” Alec pointed in Luke’s direction.   
“ He’s a good friend of mine and he’s a policeman he can make sure your safe, isnt that right Luke.

Luke has stayed where he was stood “ yeah that’s completely right”

“ Rafael will you come out so everyone can help you, will you come out so I can protect you” Alec held his breath as Rafael looked at him, Alec was about to give up when Rafael flung himself at Alec and held on tight whilst sobbed into Alec’s shoulder.

Alec let out the breath he didnt realise was holding before wrapping his arms around the boy “ hey I’ve got you, no one will hurt you again"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love it if you would leave me a comment and let me know what you thought of it.
> 
> Thanks for reading.


	5. Chapter 5.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus meets Rafael
> 
> Alec learns more about Rafael situation
> 
> Magnus and Alec make an important decision 
> 
> Magnus and Rafael share a special moment
> 
> Max learns about Rafael

Chapter 5

They had been at the hospital for hours, Alec had rang Magnus to let him know what had happened, Magnus was going to wait until Max had finished school before picking him up and dropping him to Izzy.

Rafael had been checked over by the Drs who examined him and got all the evidence they needed, before leaving him and Alec to get some rest.

Alec was about to doze off until he heard a quiet voice.

“ so this is Rafael” 

“ Magnus" 

“ Shh darling, we dont want to wake the little darling” Magnus came closer and placed a kiss on Alec’s forehead and sat down on the chair next to them. 

“ How is he doing?”

“ traumatised, they arent 100% sure how long the abuse may of been going on but they estimated it started around the time he was 2 years old, Magnus he's had broken bones that have never been treated, he’s covered head to toe in bruises, he wouldnt let me go when they examined him, he would scream if anyone else would try to take him off me”

“ Aww darling, that’s because your so good with children who are scared or upset.. why is he holding a picture of me"

“ Oh that, once they were done with checking him over and I was settling him down to try and get him to go to sleep, I went to get a chocolate coin that I put in my wallet for Max to give him whenever he’s upset or scared and he saw the picture of you and Max and wanted to know who you both were so I told him and he said he liked your sparkly nails and blue stripes in your hair and Max’s blue dinosaur”

“ Oh Bless him, he’s so precious, now rest up darling, I’ll look over you both"

Magnus sat in the chair watching both Alec and Rafael, when Rafael began to stir, Magnus held his breath as he opened his eyes, he didnt know how the boy may react to him as so far he was only okay with Alec.  
Rafael looked at Magnus and then back at the picture before back at Magnus, Magnus was sure he was going to start screaming but was shocked when he held out his arms.  
Magnus slowly leaned forward and put his hands around Rafael to pick him, Magnus kept moving slowly as he moved him to his lap, he nearly burst into tears when Rafael snuggled into him.

♡♡♡

As Alec came to you, he felt his lap feel lighter, he bolted upright in a panic.

“ Alexander he’s safe"

Alec looked at Magnus and was shocked to find Rafael in Magnus’s lap.

“ He’s okay, arent you Rafe”

“ Magnus gave me a nickname, I’ve never had a nickname, he said every special person should have one"

“ He’s right Rafe, everyone should have a nickname” Alec swung his feet over the side of the bed so he could sit up. 

There was a light knock on the door, they all looked up to see who it was, Alec could help but notice how Rafael shrank back into Magnus.

“ Hey Rafe it’s okay, this is our friend Valentine, he’s the one of the people who helped save you”

“ Hi Rafael, its ok, I’m not here to hurt you, I just need to talk to Alec a minute”

“ Rafe, I’ll be just outside that door, you will be able to see me, Magnus will keep you safe okay"

Rafael just nodded.

“ what’s up"

“ well during our initial investigation and from the DNA they collected from Rafael it turns out she’s not his aunt, she’s no relation to him at all"

“ so he was abducted, have you found his parents" Alec heart sank, whilst he was glad that Rafael possibly had a family out there, he'd fallen in love with the boy.

“ fraid not, he’s been linked to a double homicide and now a confirmed abduction in Argentina, both his parents died and he’s got no one" Valentine looked like he was about to cry but quickly composed himself.

“ So what does that mean"

“ Well once he’s well enough to leave hospital he will be placed in a group home until either he’s adopted or fostered but with him being an older child that could take a very long time" Valentine gave Alec a knowing look “ I know the type of people you Lightwood-Bane’s are, talk to your husband, I’ll think you’ll find your on the same page”   
Alec watched as Valentine walked down the corridor before turning and walking back in the room.

Magnus was humming a song to Rafael whilst he stroked his hair, he had fallen asleep.

“ So what did Valentine want?” 

“ He’s got no one Magnus, his parents were murdered and he was abducted, that women wasnt even his aunt, Valentine thinks she was the one to take him”

“ So what happens to him now?”

“ He will go into a group home until a foster carer or someone adopts him but...”

“ Like hell he will Alexander, we'll look after him with every intention of adopting him" 

“ I’m so glad you agree, I cant let him go, I love him"

“ Well there we go, will talk to child services and as soon as we are able to we will take our son home”

♡♡♡

They had talked it over with child services who agreed that placing him anywhere else but with them would be detrimental to Rafael recovery as he seemed to have grown close to Alec and because they had already been through the adoption process things would be fairly straightforward

It was the day they were taking him home, it was agreed staying any longer than one night wouldnt be good for Rafael, Max had stayed the night with Izzy whilst Magnus and Alec stayed at the hospital over night.  
It was agreed that they would take him home first and get him settled then Alec would go get Max as Rafael seemed to be content being with Magnus who didnt have any idea of what was going on just that his Daddy and Papa had to sort out a problem

Once they were home and Rafael had a small lunch and a little nap Alec needed to go get Max

“ Hey Rafe, I’ll be back shortly, I need to go get Max”

Rafael grabbed Magnus’s hand in fear 

“ Hey Its okay, Magnus isnt leaving, he’s going to stay with you” Alec watched as Rafael relaxed.

Alec Place a kiss on Magnus cheek before giving Rafael a thumbs up, they had learnt quickly at the hospital that every touch had to be his term. 

“ We'll see you later Darling" Magnus turned and crouched down to face Rafael “ would you like a bath, we have lots of bubbles"  
It was quite obvious to Magnus that Rafael was quite self efficient in taking care of himself which broke his heart he was only 7.

He watched as Rafael got ready for his bath, he had offered to step outside and give him some privacy but Rafael begged him not to go.

Magnus turned to check the water when he heard a sob, he quickly spun around to see Rafael looking at himself in the mirror and crying.

“ Hey Rafe, what’s wrong sweetheart”

Rafael started crying even harder whilst pointing to the bruises and scars on himself.

“ Oh Rafe, you dont like the bruises or scars" Magnus had to stop himself from bursting into tears as well.

“ I Ugly, she told me. To ugly to be loved"   
Rafael nodded at him.

“ Oh my beautiful boy, you are not ugly and nor are your scars, your scars dont make you unlovable. I have scars and I have loads of people who love me"

“ you have scars, can I see"

Usually Magnus hid his scars unless the people were Max or Alec but he knew Rafael needed this, to show him that he wasnt unlovable or ugly, he watched as Rafael reached out to run his fingers over them.

“ What happened”

“ A very bad man hurt me, but you know what Rafe, the very people who saved you, saved me to" 

“ Alec loves you"

“ Yeah Rafe”

“ max loves you" 

“ he does” 

Magnus watched as Rafael thought.

“ I not ugly or unlovable”

“ Oh no Rafe, you are absolutely beautiful and so, so loveable”

Magnus nearly lost his balance when Rafael flung himself into Magnus arms, Magnus slowly wrapped his arms around him.

♡♡♡♡

“ Hey Izzy. Hope he’s been good for you” Alec pulled his sister in for a hug.

“ He’s been an absolute Angel, but he’s been very curious about what’s going on, how is the little boy?”

“ Rafael is his name, he’s okay as one can be”

“ When can I meet him?"

“ not yet Izzy, he needs time to process what’s happening first, we dont want to overwhelm him to much"

“ Completely understand”

“ Where’s max I need to explain to him what’s going on"

“ he’s in the movie room with Simon"

Alec followed Izzy once they reached the room, Alec barely had time to walk through the door before Max launched himself at him.

“ Whoa, Careful Blueberry" Alec picked him up.

“ Daddy you have a boo boo on your head" Max carefully ran his finger over the bandage on Alec’s forehead

“ Yeah Daddy does but I’m okay"

“ We go see Papa now" 

“ shortly but daddy needs to talk to you first" Alec placed him down on the floor before leading him over to couch and picking him up and putting him on his lap

“Blueberry I need you to listen to me very carefully, papa didnt come with me because he’s at home with a little boy, who’s name is Rafael”

“ Where his mommy and daddy"

“ well you see, he doesn’t have a mommy or a daddy and hasn’t for a very long time”  
“ who looked after him"

“ sadly he lived with a very bad lady who wasnt very nice to him but grandpa Luke and Valentine along with daddy managed to keep him safe but because he doesn’t have a mommy or daddy to look after him, we’re going to look after him is that okay"

“ how long?”

“ Hopefully forever”

“ My new brother?”

Alec should of expected that, given Max's obsession however it caught him off guard, to Alec yes Rafael was Max’s brother however he didnt want to get the little boys hope up, whilst there shouldn’t be a problem with the adoption he still wanted to be cautious.

“ No not new brother, me and papa would like him to be but unfortunately it’s not up to us to decide. Do you understand what I’m saying Max"

“ Yes daddy he’s not new brother, but he my friend?”

“ Of course Blueberry, Rafael is going to need lots of friends to help him feel better and keep him safe ”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max meets Rafael

Chapter 6

“ when Alec coming back"

After Rafael’s bath, Magnus had got him dressed, unfortunately they didnt have any clothes that belonged to Rafael, even the clothes he was in at the hospital had barely fit him, however due to be malnourished he could fit into Max’s clothes although the sweatpants were a tiny bit short, he would have to go and buy Rafael his own clothes.

“ Very soon, he’s just text me to say he is on his way home with Max"

“ Will Max like me”

“ Rafe something tells me he’s going to love you"

♡♡♡♡

Alec had pulled into the driveway and turned the engine off before turning to face Max.

“ Remember Max, he’s a very nervous, wary little boy so when we go in, I need you to be calm, I know it’s hard cause your excited but Rafe isnt use to people being friendly towards him”

“ Yes Daddy, I wont make him scared of me, I want him to like me" 

“ Good boy, come on then let’s go see Papa and meet Rafe” 

Alec got max out of the car and headed inside, once there coats we hanged up, Alec took hold of Max’s hand and lead him to the living room.

“ we're home" 

Magnus was stood up from the sofa where him and Rafael were sat, he walked over to Max and picked him up to give him a cuddle whilst Alec went over to Rafael who threw his arms around Alec and whispered in his ear “ Is that Max?”

“ Yeah Rafe it is, do you want to meet him"   
Rafael held on to Alec as he stood up and walked them over to where Magnus and Max stood.

“ Max this is Rafael, Rafe this Max our son" Alec told him.

“ Hi Rafe, I’m max but daddy calls me blueberry, and papa calls me Maxie”

“ Hi".

“ Hey Maxie, Rafael doesn’t have any toys do you think you might have some he can borrow until Daddy and I can get him some"

“ yeah Papa" Max wriggled out of Magnus arms and started to head towards his playroom before coming to halt and turning around and walking back to where Alec was stood.

“ Do you want to come with me Rafe so you can choose something, its okay if you dont, or daddy and papa come as well"

“ Its up to Rafe, we can come with you or Max can choose for you”

“ Will I be safe with Max”

“ Of course, you will always be safe in this house"

Both Magnus and Alec watched Rafael as he thought about

“ I go with Max by myself" 

“ okay Rafe” Alec placed him on the floor, both men were very surprised when Rafael took Max’s hand and ran off with him to the playroom.

“ something tells me, they are going to get a long just fine"

“ I agree, they are going to be in inseparable"


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff ( that's all, I have to say about this chapter lol)

Chapter 7

Rafael had been with Alec and Magnus’s for the last month, he had settled in well, which they knew Max had played a big part of that.   
He had slowly met each member of all their families, he was a bit cautious around a couple of them but overall he was settling.

Originally they had planned for Rafe and Max to be in separate rooms for bed however the first night with Rafael had changed that, they had tucked both boys into separate beds and gone to bed but during the night Alec had got up to check on Rafael to find he wasnt in his bed, in a panic he ran and woke Magnus up and both frantically searched the house, Magnus had just gone into Max’s room in a last attempt to track Rafael down and was caught off guard when he found Max wrapped around Rafael, hugging him tightly. It turned out that Rafael had woken in the night from a nightmare but was too scared Magnus and Alec would be angry if he woke them so he had gone into Max’s room and woke Max up who told him that he would stop the nightmares and protect him.

From then on Max and Rafael shared a bedroom.

It wasnt all plain sailing a week before Christmas eve Rafael was inconsolable, Max had mentioned something about Santa coming soon and whilst they had been buying presents for Rafe, it hadnt occurred to them to sit with Rafe and send Santa a Christmas list so they sat him down and told him that he had been a very good boy and they were sure Santa would be bringing him presents as well and then they helped him write his letter to Santa.

It was Christmas eve and they had just got both boys to bed and was about to head off to bed when the phone started ringing.

“ I’ll get it Darling, you head up"

“ hello...yeah this is he, who’s speaking?...oh Hi... no not at all, yeah.. ok... ok.. that’s good, I’ll tell him..thank you very much"

Magnus practically ran up the stairs to Alec.

“ who was it?”

Magnus grabbed Alec and pulled him into a deep longing kiss before whispering in his ear.

♡♡♡

“ DADDY, PAPA WAKE UP SANTA’S BEEN!” Max practically screamed as he ran in the room and jumped on the bed. Rafael stood in the door way and rolled his eyes, he had quickly got use to Max crazy behaviour.

“ has he Blueberry” Alec grabbed Max and pulled him into the middle of him and Magnus.

“ Hey Rafe, do you want to come and have some Christmas cuddles"

“ Can I Magnus?” Rafael still called them by their names 

“ Of course my darling boy” Magnus held out his arm as Rafe ran over and jumped on the bed and joined in with the cuddles.

Morning cuddles didnt last long, Max couldnt wait any longer to go downstairs and open presents.

Once they were downstairs, Magnus sat next to the Christmas tree to pass the presents out. 

Rafael eyes flew opened wide when Magnus passed him the first present which was a big box with big letters to Rafael from Santa, he looked at Magnus and Alec with tears in his eye.

“ For me..from Santa" 

“ yes Rafe! See Santa knows you are a very good boy darling, why dont you open it to see what Santa brought”

Rafael carefully teared the paper off and his eyes flew open when he saw the words ‘scooter’

“ Santa Brought me a scooter look" he spun the box round so he could show everyone the words on the box

“ Wow Rafe that’s so cool, once we’ve opened some more presents I’ll get it out of the box for you, okay?” 

“ Okay Alec"

Max was up next, he wasted no time in ripping off the paper “ Its a blue car! I asked Santa for this" 

They had taken turns opening presents Rafael had been so happy to receive many presents, he'd never received so much stuff before. 

The boys were playing with their new toys in the living room whilst Magnus and Alec had gone to the kitchen to grab a coffee.

“ I think that’s the most carefree I’ve ever seen Rafael, it’s so good to see him come out of his shell" Alec wrapped his arms around his husband 

“ yeah it is, I think having max around helps though, I’ve always said that his personality is his special power”

“ Just like his papa’s. Anyway shall we go give the boys their last Christmas present”

“ I’ve been waiting for this moment”

Both men linked hands and walked back into the living room.

“ Hey Rafe. Me and Alexander need to talk to you a minute”

Rafael looked cautious but made his way over and sat between them on the sofa. 

“ we have one more gift to give you, but it’s something we have to tell you rather than give you” Alec looked at Magnus.

“ You know Alec and I want you to live here with us and Max forever, is that something you want, to live here”

“ Yes, I want a daddy and Papa like max”

“ Well Rafe, you get to stay here with us”

“ Forever?”

“ Yes forever"

Rafael started to cry, Magnus and Alec wrapped their arms around him.

“ I get to have a family, I never had one of them" Rafael sobbed. 

“ Oh my darling boy, well you have one now”

“ I love you Daddy, I love you Papa"

“ and we love you to Rafael so much"

Magnus and Alec both placed a kiss into his hair, when Rafael had started to cry, it had gotten Max’s attention although he was very confused why they were crying but smiling to.

“ why you all sad" 

Alec looked over at Max and held out an arm for him to come and join in with the cuddle.

“ We're not crying because we are sad, we are crying because we are happy, Rafe gets to stay with us forever and we get to be his Daddy and Papa as well as yours & Rafe gets to be your big brother"

Max thought over what daddy just said whilst he snuggled up to his family after a few minutes Max spoke up 

“ Rafael my brother?!”

“ Yes Maxie, I now your big brother”

Max leapt off the sofa and started Jumping up and down.

“ See Daddy, See Papa! Santa did bring me a brother, I told you he would!”

Magnus and Alec looked at each other and started laughing.

“ I suppose your right Blueberry, he did bring you a brother”

THE END.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this. It mean a lot if you let me know what you thought and if you have any ideas of what else you might like to see surrounding in this True loves series please feel free to leave suggestions.
> 
> Thank you for reading, hope everyone has a merry Christmas or whatever you may celebrate. :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading.


End file.
